According to calculations by the Financial Times, the Trump administration earned over $13 billion this year from Venezuelan oil sales. However, the government has provided little information on how these funds were used. The US government has stated that these funds "will be used to benefit the American and Venezuelan people." But six months after the US took control of these funds, economists say signs of economic recovery in Venezuela are relatively weak—perhaps indicating that the US has not sent all revenue back to Caracas. Following the earthquake, Venezuela's economy is in crisis, and the country has been struggling to access funds held abroad, such as those held at the International Monetary Fund and gold reserves managed by the Bank of England.
